Down the Road: Summer fun coming to downtown Freeport

It's hard not to think of spring with these high 30's. In our office, we and our committees, are getting ready for many summertime downtown events.

One of our most popular events, Music on Chicago, will feature some new things this year.

Last June, we had a '70s night and encouraged folks to dress up. Some did and they won some really neat prizes. In July, we hosted blues, and August was rock. Rock 'n' roll is really popular in this area and it was our biggest night.

During this year's Music on Chicago event, we will be "celebrating Wisconsin" by booking two Wisconsin-based bands on June 13. The night will be called "Cheeseheads on Chicago." Expect more delicious food and a few quality bands from up north.

On July 18, we will change genres from last year. Blues will come back someday; however, this year we are hosting Country on Chicago. The committee is currently searching for dynamic mainstream country cover bands to entertain our crowd of about 1,000 people.

In August, we have to keep it "rock solid." It's the last chance for people to hear music in great weather. It draws large crowds for many reasons. It just wouldn't feel like a proper summer send-off if we didn't end the series with rock 'n' roll. The committee has several great bands in mind for this night.

There is a once-in-a-lifetime event coming this summer that we all can look forward too. It's the 100th birthday celebration of Union Dairy. Manager Jodi Miller is hard at work on some spectacular events beginning the evening of June 6. More info will be available in the coming months.

With the summer still a ways away, we'll have to deal with Mother Nature but in the meantime, mark your calendars for these fun local events downtown.

Anyone wishing to participate in these events on a volunteer or vendor level can contact our office.

Danielle Rogers is the executive director of Freeport Downtown Development Foundation and can be reached at drogersfddf@yahoo.com.